The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Act provides protection from discrimination for individuals on the basis of disability. The ADA extends civil rights protection for people with disabilities to employment in the public and private sectors, transportation, public accommodations, services provided by state and local government, and telecommunications services. Besides physical access, the ADA mandates program access, which includes electronic media and web pages.

Who is considered an “Individual with a Disability”?

According to the ADA, an “individual with a disability” is defined as anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity.*

This includes but is not limited to:

Bending

Breathing

Caring for Oneself

Communicating

Concentrating

Hearing

Learning

Lifting

Manual Tasks

Reading

Seeing

Sleeping

Speaking

Standing

Thinking

Walking

This also includes impairment of major bodily functions including the functioning of the immune system, special sense organs, and skin, normal cell growth, digestive system , urinary system, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, cardiovascular, endocrine, hemic, lymphatic, musculoskeletal, and reproductive functions, as well as the operation of an individual organ within a body system. This definition also includes psychological and learning disabilities, and chronic health impairments.